Peters Bill On PFAS At Airports Passes House, Senate

Legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to reduce the spread of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at commercial airports is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law, after unanimously passing the U.S. Senate.

The Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act – which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September – would deploy more existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding for commercial airports to purchase devices necessary to test their firefighting equipment without discharging toxic PFAS chemicals.

This legislation would encourage commercial airports to purchase the relatively low-cost devices – also referred to as an input-based testing system – to help limit and prevent exposure to PFAS, which are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down. It would also direct the FAA to identify options for reimbursing airports in Michigan and elsewhere that already acquired the devices without federal funding.

“By making testing equipment that prevents the spread of PFAS contamination more affordable for airports, we can better protect not only our environment but also families, first responders, and the Great Lakes from these toxic chemicals,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “My bipartisan Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act will use commonsense, fiscally responsible means to reduce PFAS contamination in communities across the country and I’m pleased it will soon be law.”

“Commercial airports should have the necessary equipment to test their firefighting equipment in a manner that does not expose firefighters or the surrounding communities to toxic PFAS foams,” said Senator Moran. “Passing this legislation in the Senate will help promote the health and wellness of firefighters and aviation employees at commercial airports, as well as protect the communities that surround them.”

The FAA has required commercial airports nationwide to use firefighting foam that contains toxic PFAS chemicals. For years, airports were required to discharge this foam as part of routine, federally-mandated testing of their firefighting equipment. This put firefighters, the environment, and the public at risk from exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals.

The Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act – which Peters introduced earlier this year with U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and previously passed the Senate unanimously – would make more funding from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program available to commercial airports to purchase devices that avoid discharging PFAS chemicals when testing firefighting equipment. It would also direct the FAA to identify options for reimbursing airports in Michigan and elsewhere that already acquired the devices without federal funding.